March 11, 2011
Reprinted from The Post and Courier
By Eugene Platt
The letter in the March 6 Post and Courier by the mayor of Kiawah Island cannot go unanswered. Although “the Kiawah Island Town Council has adopted a resolution expressing support” for the extension of I-526, other elected bodies have passed resolutions expressing strong, unequivocal opposition.
Indeed, the James Island Public Service District Commission has passed such resolutions on several occasions. Of relevance is the significant difference in the constituencies represented: The residents of Kiawah Island are among the most affluent in the state; the residents of James Island tend to be hard-working (or retired) people of much more modest means.
Johns Island as well as James Island would be much more negatively impacted by the extension of I-526 than would Kiawah or Seabrook islands. The good people of Johns and James islands should not be compelled to pay, in effect, with a diminished quality of life for the convenience of the wealthy who live in gated communities.
Eugene Platt
Senior Commissioner
James Island Public Service District
James Island